PM opens 'Family Card' programme for women's empowerment

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated Tuesday the government's landmark "Family Card" programme to ensure women's empowerment in the country as he distributed cards among them at a function in Dhaka.

The premier handed over the family cards to 17 women at the inauguration ceremony at T&T playground in Banani, adjacent to Korail slum, in the city, reports BSS.

Later, Tarique Rahman sent the money of family cards to accounts of 37,567 women in 14 places of different districts by pressing the button on a laptop.

Dr Zubaida Rahman, spouse of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman; Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain, State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin, Social Welfare Secretary Dr Mohammad Abu Yusuf and Dhaka North City Corporation administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan were present, among others, on the occasion.

The Family Card Programme is part of the government's commitment to achieving national development and social justice by empowering women and recognising them as the heads of families in social protection programmes.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said empowering women is crucial as it is quite impossible to advance the country leaving half of the population behind.

"Half of the population of Bangladesh is women. We firmly believe that if we leave this half of the population behind, if we do not empower this half of the population, if we do not empower them, if we cannot empower them educationally and economically, then it is certainly not possible to move the country forward in any way," he told a function here.

Recalling the contribution of the former prime minister, late Begum Khaleda Zia, to women empowerment, Tarique Rahman said when Begum Khaleda Zia was in charge of running the country, she made education for women, from school level to intermediate level, free throughout Bangladesh.

"Today, we want to empower that educated female society economically and to make them economically solvent," he said.

To this end, he said, the incumbent government has taken plans to empower women and as a part of it, today the Family Card progamme was introduced across Bangladesh.

He said the government will bring 40 million (four crore) families, headed by women, under the Family Card programme within the next five years.

"...I firmly believe that my government will be able to gradually bring this family card to all the four crore families in Bangladesh, headed by women, within the next five years, InshaAllah," said.

This work (Family Card progamme) has started in 14 places or 14 upazilas across Bangladesh involving about 37,000 women, he said.

In three areas of capital - Karail area, Bhashantek area and Sattala slum, about 15,000 women have been brought under the Family Card programme today, he added.

He expressed his hope that his government would be able to introduce 'Farmer Card' programme within next month (April).

"We have also started the work on the Farmer Card. InshaAllah, just as we were able to hand over family cards to 37,000 women, in today's event, in the same way, within the next month we will be able to hand over Farmer Cards to many other farmer brothers, InshaAllah," he said.